Getting married in Bangkok Thailand - What are the processes

If you are planning to get legally married in Thailand, it is important to learn more about Thailand’s requirements as a first step. Regardless of whether you are a foreigner marrying another foreigner or you are marrying a Thai citizen, the country’s requirements are the same. You must follow these steps:


1. Obtain an Affirmation of Freedom to Marry. This document may be available through the consulate in Bangkok or through your embassy if you are a foreign citizen. Each country may have specific requirements that its citizens must meet, and each person wishing to get married must obtain their own Affirmation. This is a special legal document that essentially states that you are legally permitted to get married by the country. For foreigners, you typically must present your passport. If you have previously been married, documents attesting to the legal termination of that marriage may also be required. Thai citizens generally need to provide their House Registration Document and their National Identification Card to their consulate.


2. Translate the Affirmation of Freedom to Marry document. If you have obtained an Affirmation of Freedom to Marry document from your home country’s embassy, it likely is in your native language. It must be translated into the Thai language as the next step. There are various services that you can use throughout the country that can complete this step for you.


3. Take Your Affirmation document to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Your translated Affirmation of Freedom to Marry document must be legalized by the Thai government. This is done at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office.


4. Register the marriage with the amphur. The amphur is the office that officially records marriages, and this step means that your marriage to your spouse is legally binding. To register the marriage, you simply submit your documents to the amphur. The amphur will issue a marriage certificate in Thai. You typically must pay a translator to translate this document into your native language.


5. Certify your marriage with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After you have properly registered your marriage, you will again visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to file your translated document. This officially records the marriage.


6. You must also report your marriage to your home country. If you are a foreigner, you will take your documents to your embassy. If you are a Thai resident, you will take your documents to the consulate. This step finalizes your marriage in Thailand.

Thank you very much. How long do you have to be in Thailand to be able to get married according to Thai Law?

I believe once you have the correct documentation you can be married . No specific time limit applies.

veenaga wrote:

Thank you very much. How long do you have to be in Thailand to be able to get married according to Thai Law?

Dear veenaga  Today 11:26:18
Mr. Terrymedlicott gave you a good detailed explanation of the things that need to be done, but since you are both not from Thailand, I would use an agency that knows what is needed.
I was married in July 2017 (my wife is Thai). We used Express Translations located near Phloen Chit Station on Sukhumvit Road. They translated the documents beforehand and brought us to the Amphur and introduced us to the lady (in her big office) that had to approve the marriage at the Amphur. The lady questioned each of us separately about our relationship before she approved. It wasn't like you walk up to a window & sign papers. Then, Express Translations translated all the docs and took them to the MFA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get stamped. It took more than a week for everything.
If I remember correctly, it cost about 15,000 THB for everything; (translations for Freedom to Marry for wife, my divorce decree, name change for wife, marriage certificates, marriage registrations, MFA stamps, Amphur fees, Translator fee, passport copies, etc.
It's up to you, but I don't see how you can do everything without getting help from an agency.
Good luck... Kindly, Zeus

All married certificaite and document are in Thai language, if you can't read Thai. I think it's not useful.

You would need to consider as well that the marriage need to be acknowledged and authoprised afterwards by both of the embassies as they would not be valid otherwise.
You might want to explore the option to marry in Hong Kong. I did that 3 years ago with my THAI wife. Was very easy and straight forward. You need to provide some documents and declarations beforehand, but the marriage is done within the same day. Still needs to be verified by the embassies and you might require Hong Kong to issue an apostille to be recognized in Australia.

You can ask fòr an English translation, I got one.

Thank you so much for that information it has been extremely helpful. It seems as though it is similar to a 'registry marriage'. no bells and whistles which suits us. Our celebration will happen in Vietnam late in September.

However I was asking about how long you have to be in Thailand to be able to get married? We are only going there to get married and online from various sources it says you have to be a 'resident' for 5 days.  But we will be staying in a hotel for the 13 days we will be in Bangkok Thailand so I am hoping that after the 5 days (following all the previously mentioned instructions) that we can be legally married according to Thai Law.

Obviously, whilst in Bangkok after the marriage we will go to our respective embassies to record our marriage.   I need to know this so when we go back to Vietnam we can then apply for my husband to come to Australia under the Partner/Spouse visa.